Page 44 of Forgettable in Every Way

“Then I’ll hunt him down and exact revenge, of course.” She wasn’t joking. “But maybe the question you should ask yourself is, will you regret never knowing if it could have worked out?”

That question zapped me good. If I walked away now, would it haunt me? I had a feeling it would be like A Nightmare on Elm Street kind of haunting. Scary.

When I didn’t answer right away, Calista added. “Jules, you once said that being with Simon made you feel like yourself. Some people may take that as weak or like you need someone to complete you. But I don’t think it’s either of those things. I think if you’re lucky enough to find a person who brings out the best and happiest version of you, that’s a gift. Not to sound like a Barbra Streisand song, but people who need people are the luckiest people in the world.”

“Simon and I actually saw an off-Broadway production of Funny Girl.” The song “People” is where that beautiful line Calista just quoted came from.

“Sounds like you two had some great times together.”

“We did. Lots of great times,” I choked out, thinking of our golf outing the day before. We sang show tunes together and he peppered me with hundreds of random facts. Everything from a group of kittens being called a kindle, to sea lions being the only animals that can clap to a beat. And did he ever try to help me with my golf swing. But I resisted him wrapping his arms around me. It wasn’t easy, but I’d held strong. His touch made me forget why I had any reservations, and I needed to remember all of them so I could make the right choice.

“Jules, it’s okay to give yourself permission to be with Simon, if that’s what you want. I know I won’t judge you. Look at me. I’m marrying a man who once told me he had to quit me like a bad habit. What does that say about me?”

“That you’re forgiving and wonderful.”

She rubbed my arm. “And so are you. Now you get to decide if Simon is part of your story or if this concludes his chapter. I guess my best advice to you is just to make sure you get your happy ending. Because you, my friend, deserve that more than anything.”

I turned into Calista and hugged her. “I’m so glad I got that UTI last Thanksgiving and you were the doctor on staff,” I blubbered.

“Me too. I mean, not that you got sick, but you know what I mean.”

I knew exactly what she meant. Now all I had to do was figure out if I would let Simon once again be a part of my life. The thing is, I had a feeling that no matter what I chose, he would always be a part of me. A part of me I really loved and even needed.

But ... no matter what I chose, he probably deserved to wait just a little longer before I made my decision. Besides, I kind of liked being chased. Although I had no idea how he knew where to find me. Who knew? Maybe in the end, we would finally find each other.

Simon

SIMON HUSTLED ACROSS THE DANCE studio’s parking lot on Wednesday morning with a spring in his step. Not only was he glad Penelope had asked him to pick up Jack early, even if it bothered him that the one time a month she had him midweek, she couldn’t bring herself to put their son first. But he had it on good authority from Sandra that Jules was planning to kayak over to the forested island in the middle of the lake. Simon had already packed a picnic and bought life vests for the occasion. Now all he had to do was convince Jules she needed company and they should take her parents’ canoe instead.

He hadn’t seen Jules in three days, and he was beyond eager to change that. Simon had a feeling she was purposely avoiding him by hanging out with Calista and helping with wedding preparations. He’d wanted to crash the party, but Calista intimidated him. There was no shame in that. Besides, he felt he should give Jules some space. He knew he was rocking her world.

Now he needed to prove to her that she was rocking his world just as much, or more.

Simon swung open the studio door, shrouded in brown paper to prevent anyone from looking in while the place was under construction. The scent of primer lingered in the air, mingling with a faint hint of sawdust. The sound of hammers and drills echoed through the space in what sounded like an out-of-tune symphony of construction. Simon had to wonder how much she was paying the contractors. He’d thought her plan was to do most of the work herself. He feared she was burning through their divorce settlement too quickly, and this would be another venture she didn’t follow through with.

“Daddy!” Jack ran across the foyer over the plastic-covered floor.

Simon knelt with arms wide open.

Jack flew straight into his arms, and Simon eagerly wrapped him up. Even though it had only been a day since he’d seen his son, it always felt like more.

“How are you, mate?” Simon kissed Jack’s head.

“I want to go home.” Jack snuggled in closer to Simon.

Simon’s heart broke just a little. He feared Jack’s visits with his mum were more harmful than helpful. But he had to abide by the courts. By law, he couldn’t keep Jack from Penelope. Honestly, he didn’t wish to. He only wished Penelope would be the mother Jack deserved.

Penelope came sauntering out wearing overalls and a halter top, looking like she was ready to work, but there was not a speck of dust on her. “Thanks for picking him up early. Renovations are behind schedule.”

“No problem.” Simon stood with Jack still clinging to him.

“Mum says Princess Jewel isn’t real,” Jack whimpered in Simon’s ear.

Simon narrowed his eyes at Penelope.

“What?” She clucked her tongue. “He was going on and on about Jules talking to animals and saving green ladies in the water while gallivanting around with this Daft Prince.”

“She does talk to animals. I’ve seen her,” Jack whispered.

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